well getting ready to purchase parts whene tax refund gets here. i have a 305ci 230 hp rating engine. im going to replace crank and connecting rod bearings and bore the cylinders 30 thousanths of an inch. i would like some insight on the best parts combo to use for low end torque. im looking for a "off idle cruiser". low rpm kinda thing. its going to be for a 1989 short s-10 with auto trans and 3.08 rear end. i have some 1.84-1.50 434 casting heads and a matching holly street dominator intake manifold number 300-38. i also have origional cast iron marine intake without exhaust heat crossover as well. the cam is stock marine speced at 200 / 212 intake / exhaust duration @ 0.05" lift .4 / .41 intake / exhaust lift with 1.50:1 rockers
I will be purchasing new lifters and installing camshaft bearings as well. i have a useable pair of 350 vortec 1.94-1.50 heads but i would need to purchase a matching intake manifold(not completely opposed). either set of heads will get a freshen up at the machine shop and a smoothing of the casting marks on the intake side ports and little backyard porting on the exhaust side. if i could get some knowledge on making what i have the best combo for down low cruiser engine with a great sound. also i will be using a summit hei distributor, short headers and rochester carb tuned as lean as i can get without burnin up the pistons. i only know enough to get myself in trouble so...make sure im puttin this together the right way the first time. thanx

Ok...was reading your post and thought scrap those heads and use the Vortecs...but then I read Vinnie's post....so I reread your post. After a little more thought, based on your cam selection and carb choice, I think Vinnie's right, just build it back to ite stock form and it'll probably last forever. Guess I get a little rowdy over those s-10/s-15 builds Vinnie...its a personal thing to try and make them all scream.

Ok...was reading your post and thought scrap those heads and use the Vortecs...but then I read Vinnie's post....so I reread your post. After a little more thought, based on your cam selection and carb choice, I think Vinnie's right, just build it back to ite stock form and it'll probably last forever. Guess I get a little rowdy over those s-10/s-15 builds Vinnie...its a personal thing to try and make them all scream.

I love those little trucks,but for power I prefer to use bore sizes over 4 inch to take advantage of good heads. 4.155 is even better.
I look at a 305 as a stroker 265. believe me snakebit,I too like the bigger power engines.

Vinnie, you offer solid advice on every type of build...I still seem to leap towards the Tim Taylor approach of "more power" on everything. My wife says I have an addiction and there isn't a rehab for it. She suggested that they take people like us and lock us in our own city where the only cars to drive is a PRIUS. I told her that would be fine...Vinnie and I would find a way to make it run 10's.

Vinnie, you offer solid advice on every type of build...I still seem to leap towards the Tim Taylor approach of "more power" on everything. My wife says I have an addiction and there isn't a rehab for it. She suggested that they take people like us and lock us in our own city where the only cars to drive is a PRIUS. I told her that would be fine...Vinnie and I would find a way to make it run 10's.

the new porsche hybrid gets my vote for battery power helping performance more than mileage. An extra 90 plus horse power out of a corner is a good thing. also I think we could stuff another prius power plant where the back seat doesnt need to be?

well gentlemen, i have to clarify that im not opposed to more power , im saving up parts for a 355 build up. naturally aspirated pump gas. leave not a single horse power hidden. blueprint full roller 355. till then the 305 makes good sound and good mileage on the cheap. i had a 1994 z-71 that i put a same year rebuilt 305 .030 overbore with a "R/V" cam (whatever that means), and it went 100,000 miles before i sold it. it got phenomenal highway gas mileage and it towed my boat around no problem. i could leave rubber anywhere i needed and never felt that a 350 would do much better. plus it sounded exceptionally mean with a single exhaust with a hollowed converter and dynomax muffler single in dual out. sounded nasty. i know it was throttle body fuel injected but if i could get that kind of low end and fuel mileage out of this s-10 i would be satisfied contently. the 355 will be for a 93 full size extend cab chevy. keep the opinions coming, should i use the holley intake or the marine cast iron with the crossover blocked?

also should i be worried about new lifters on old cam? should i ridge ream the cylinders and just install new rings instead of going .030 overbore?, the pistons are in great shape just an ever so slight ridge, its measureable, but you really cant feel it with your fingernail. should i look for heads from a 1994 throttle body injected engine and buy an intake to get the same results?

I guess I would'nt put in new lifters on an old cam. I would use a ridge reamer and a cylinder hone to clean up the cylinders. New rings, new bearings. IF you are trying to do this on the cheap anyway. I would probably not go with the marine intake...personal preference I guess. Just clean it all up good. I've seen more engines go to ---- because guys didn't take the time to just clean things. Cover your lifters and bores...make sure to clear out all the gasket material. Pour a quart or two of oil through the block after reaming and honing the cylinders. It helps to wash away any metal shavings that may be hanging around. Clean hands when installing bearings...as dirt and grease aren't helpful in seating new bearings. Mostly common sense stuff that sometimes gets overlooked because we get in a hurry to hear it run. I have a 383 stroker in my s-15...so if I can be of any help to you just holler at me. Good luck.

i have looked at new engines like this one but thats a good bit of money. i hope to get out cheaper than the cost of this engine since I will want to purchase high volume oil pump, roller tip rockers, intake manifold. I would also like to put the quench at .040 and redneck port the exhaust valves and knock off the casting marks on the intake side. if I were to do all this to that engine it would cost over 3000 bucks. right now with what i have, its looking like all together and ready for a carb about $900 dollars. but realistically that new engine would suit my needs just fine and run a long time with a warrantee. hard to pass up the idea, I dont want to send this perfectly good engine to the bone yard, plus the savings. what would the estimated horsepower of the crate vortec 5.0 be? and at what rpm? ive thought long and hard about the crate 305 but a 355 is not much more money lol. thats why i keep wanting to restore this good old motor i have here.

Look, honestly, an overhaul kit with rings, bearings, gaskets and such for your 305...a Summit re-ring kit...runs $86.80. Thats pretty darn inexpensive compared to rebuilding it or buying a new engine. Its the direction I'd go if I was planning on eventually replacing the engine with a more modified small block in the future.

Look, honestly, an overhaul kit with rings, bearings, gaskets and such for your 305...a Summit re-ring kit...runs $86.80. Thats pretty darn inexpensive compared to rebuilding it or buying a new engine. Its the direction I'd go if I was planning on eventually replacing the engine with a more modified small block in the future.

thank you. thats the way i am leaning and that is my goal exactly. so now in that case, what would be a great cam choice because summit cam and lifter kits are only 100 bucks. might just as well grab a cam. so anybody who understands the concept of cam design, please give me some cam specs to look for that will give me explosive low end and mileage.

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